Spanish peacekeepers donate firefighting equipment to Civil Defense
UNIFIL peacekeepers in south-eastern Lebanon donated yesterday a number of firefighting equipment to the Lebanese Civil Defense, a public civil emergency service that carries out firefighting, search and rescue activities across the country.
The donation by the Spanish Contingent to seven Civil Defense centres will benefit up to 175,000 people living in the Marjayoun district, which also hosts the Mission’s Sector East Headquarters.
The donated items, worth more than $22,000, include fire bates, protective gloves, safety glasses, fire fighting backpacks and fire extinguishers.
UNIFIL’s 1,060 square kilometer area of operations is prone to seasonal forest and bushfires and local Civil Defense centres play key role in putting them out.
During a handover ceremony in the UNIFIL Sector East Headquarters, all the preventive measures related to COVID-19 spread were followed. Among those in attendance were UNIFIL Sector East Commander Brigadier General Luis Jesús Fernández Herrero, the Qaim Maqam of Marjayoun Wisam Alhayek, Civil Defense Director Hussein Fakih and the fellow UNIFIL peacekeepers.
The latest UNIFIL support represents the continuation of a wide range of humanitarian assistance to the host communities at their request.
Between their core peacekeeping duties, UNIFIL peacekeepers regularly carry out various activities in support of the host communities, which – together with their operational activities – have helped keep calm in the Mission’s area of operation for 14 years.